Monthly Archives: January 2014

It’s getting to be that time of the year where…well, a fucking holiday is long overdue. I know – New Year’s was no more than a month ago *shrugs* what can I say? With plans for Europe already in place, just thought I’d share with you all some other great places to check out. Enjoy, and remember, life’s too short to sit around going nowhere.

Because it’s something you probably haven’t done yet – but would be more than willing to try.

Think about it – cruising down the road, no speed limit, wind in your hair and sunglasses deflecting bugs (okay, maybe helmet), open land, culture, and nature as far as the eye can see. Just you, the road, and a few buddies. Nothing’s more freeing than the sound of that motor hum.

The bike? Royal Enfield Bullet. 500cc’s of unadulterated power – not too much, not too little…but just right for a trip like this.

Get ready for 11 days chock full of checking out Nepal’s awesome scenery including its many jungles, plains, and insane heights – and of course what would a holiday be without (naturally) getting to know the locals and some of their favorite things to do…not to mention, you know, like…stay with them. What? You thought it was gonna be all isolated hotels on this trip? Guess again.

The rundown:

Grab a friend (or three), and book your tickets, plus the reservation for the trip. Touch down in Kathmandu with nothing but a carry on and your most rugged pair of boots (you’ll need them). Hopefully you’ve researched into the culture a bit and brushed up on the language – a little cultural respect can go a long way. Rest up well and get ready for the next day – take this time to get familiar with the area and practice a few lines on the locals – there’ll be a welcome dinner later and knowing a joke or two may help break the ice. Be sure to try every food passed your way – let’s not be picky, remember, you’re here to explore.

From there it’s time to hit the road – there’s a lot on your travel plate:

Pigeon dinner and fresh mangoes (that you pick) for dessert while escaping the sun under a tree in Fattepur…speaking of, if you’ve been up trees picking mangoes, you probably stink – hit up the jungle for a fresh spring water shower.

Dessert before dinner – stuff your face with Momo dumplings in Bhetadar (they’re not your freezer variety) then eat dinner under the stars.

Hopefully, all that motorbike action got you tuckered out…at this point, I personally would just wanna kick back and lounge all day. Argentina‘s the place to do it – but what trip to any Latin country would be complete without wine? Seriously…that’s like an elephant without a trunk.

So if you’re ready to come down off that adrenaline high, then it’s time to head to Mendoza. For villas, vineyards, and vino…so you can veni, vidi, vici.

First order of business: your accommodation. 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom villa? If you still wanna catch up on some work with your remote business early in the morning…or just enjoy sleeping alone…or just like a lot of space – I recommend 2 bedroom.

Think of this as your own home away from home. Treat it like your own home away from home. With waterfront and 1500 acre vineyard views, soaking tubs, rooftop terraces, and more than 2500 sq. ft. of living space, a place like this commands respect.

Besides waking up like royalty, the guys over at The Vines Resort and Spa are pretty intuitive when it comes to dining, too. They specialize in serving seasonal only dishes to all their guests – meaning the freshest taste you can find…and who can forget Argentinian beef? There’s just some things no matter how much your exercise that are like kryptonite to Superman…a good steak is one of mine.

If you’re not much of a red meat enthusiast that’s okay – they also serve other delicious alternatives like grilled salmon, pork (for you pork lovers) and even grilled fruit…a personal favorite of mine.

Hang on – don’t get the wrong idea here, this place isn’t all about relaxation – they’ve got some pretty fun activities that require you to get up and go, too. So in case you want to use more than the muscles in your arm to reach for that 3rd glass of wine, they’ve got you covered with excursions, fishing, climbing walls, bocce ball courts, and, of course, plenty of wine making activities. You know…to work those delts and lats.

Just remember – if you ever get sore from all that “heavy lifting,” you can always hit up their spa.

…but hold up – what if you don’t want all that? What if you don’t wanna socialize, don’t want noise, don’t want tours or “roughing it” – what if you don’t want any of that but instead just wanna get away from it all? Well then I’d say it’s time to take you back to (one) of my homelands…

Get ready for quality espresso, port wine, and bacalhau…’cause it’s next stop, Portugal.

I remember my childhood days in Bermuda and teenage days of visiting family in Porto and Lisbon…we used to go out to the beach house and sunbathe, relax, lose track of time and just enjoy the stillness of everything. In retrospect, it was probably the best form of meditation I’d ever encountered and between traveling to both countries probably explains my refusal to live more than 10 minutes from the closest beach.

There’s a certain calmness the ocean offers to those looking for solace or time to reflect, empty, and get lost in their own thoughts. Just thinking about it makes me want to head to the beach now…but I’ve gotta finish this post. In the meantime, I want you to check out Cabanas No Rio, a (literally) small little getaway in Comporta, Portugal.

There are two huts. Little huts. Fisherman huts…but don’t be fooled by these little huts. In each of these huts, are you living quarters. The first one? Your bedroom and bathroom, complete with shower. The second one? Your kitchen and living room. Quaint living room. Cute kitchen – decent for simple meals but small enough to not get too crazy.

If you get hungry, there’s no need to hunt down your own food – your accommodation is far away but not too far away from humanity – so hit up a restaurant if you don’t feel like cooking what you got from the grocer a few days back. So go out, grab some grub, have a few drinks, click some photos, head back, sit back, relax.

Life really doesn’t have to be as hard as society makes it out to be. It starts with a thought…

Yeah. It’s a Walter Mitty themed week…because it’s that awesome. I always was a fan of Life Magazine…heck, I have practically ancient Life magazines from years past. Call me a collector – but some things help keep other things in perspective.

Anyone seen the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty?

What I thought to be a remake of the original 1947 version (which according to IMDB it seems it was), this movie focuses on EXACTLY what I have been writing about ever since I started this blog…and of all the movies I’ve seen, just jumped to #1 in my rating book, right up there with The Wolf of Wall Street.

Ben Stiller both directed and produced this film – and due to those reasons I believe this gave him TREMENDOUS freedom in creating/becoming his character the way HE wanted Mitty to be seen. By far the best acting I’ve seen from him to date. Stiller, you’re awesome.

The whole premise of the movie is simple – it’s about an ordinary guy who’s got a knack for developing negatives for LIFE magazine. He’s been at the game for 16 years now and really knows his stuff – but ironically, though developing thousands and thousands of photos of numerous places around the world…has never actually gone a single place that’s mentionable or interesting himself.

Put simply – Walter (Stiller) has never lived LIFE. Because of the fact his life is so repetitive, over the years Walter has increasingly become more and more active in day dreaming or “zoning out,” often beyond his control – a clear sign the poor bastard’s mind can’t even come to terms with his monotonous day to day life.

The movie takes a minute or so to pick up and gain momentum – but the ending leaves you literally FEELING every single moment…something that rarely happens these days unless it’s a good action film (in my opinion).

All in all it’s a great film that anyone can go and see.

It really hits home on important issues like how people don’t just need to – but deserve to live the life they desire – and how quickly and often the day to day activities that have been built into the majority of society’s routine often make people forget that they’ve gotta CREATE a life – and not just live one.

Mitty is portrayed in flawless fashion – someone who at first when pondering over the “mission” thinks “yeah right” or “it’s impossible,” non-chalantly brushing it off until his office crush encourages him bit by bit.

Even when he makes it to Greenland, Mitty still has extreme reservations.

Like I keep saying time and time again, if a person can get up and get something done for their boss, or their job, or anything for anyone else EXCEPT themselves – then what in the hell is stopping them from doing it for themselves and themselves ONLY?

No more pacification. No more substituting living your actual life with day dreams or reality TV. Why watch other people live their lives when you can live your own? No more doing something because your head is on the chopping block at your place of work.

You can’t seriously believe that you were just put on this earth to work a job and build someone else’s dream, can you? I didn’t think so.

Sometimes, people do so much running around, it’s nice to just chill out in your own den. With friends. And snacks. Maybe some beer. And a video game. Or three.

This upcoming weekend I thought I’d share with you all some games from the vault – 3 video games to be precise that have you using more than just your thumbs. Come on, let’s make it a low key weekend, and enjoy…

There’s nothing like a good DJ at a party or a venue – a great time in any building is 30% people, 25% atmosphere, and 45% music. I’ve reiterated this in numerous For The Weekenders articles before.

DJing is a shit ton of fun. I did it a few years back and knew not to mention socialized with many of like mind. A few months ago I finally made the decision to give DJ Hero a spin. Pun intended.

All in all it’s a pretty cool game. Though not precisely what DJing is all about (what Guitar Hero related game is, really), the bottom line is it makes for an excellent time when you’re just having a chill time with good friends.

Set yourself up with two turntables (they’re so inexpensive now) and away you go – the instructions are simple, controls easy, and all it takes is an ear for music and good hand eye coordination, then you’re good to go.

It has a pretty cool feature where if you get tired you can just hold down a button and it’ll “spin itself” so to speak – still playing the track you were on to perfection while you’re at the mini bar reloading on American Honey and playing some shot roulette (long story). For those times when you wanna be the party goer and the DJ…DJ Hero’s there to help…

I know, this game has been out for practically ages now – but it still deserves recognition.

A lot of people say this game is hard – I beg to differ. A lot of people say this game doesn’t work properly – again, I beg to differ. First off, the whole reason why noone can seem to ge the controller going, is simply because of the fact that whoever wrote up the user manual fucked up pretty bad in explaining things.

The “skateboard” (which kind of reminds me of the hover board on Back to The Future II) has a sleep function, and instead of taking the batteries in and out to get it going, you merely have to hold down the PS button on the side of it for a hell of a long time – about ten seconds – and you’re good to go.

In terms of getting your character to actually go, that’s simple too – as long as you’re playing like you’re actually skateboarding – standing there lifelessly isn’t going to help your character pop that kickflip anymore than if you were to sit there and not move your thumbs.

The game itself is great for a workout – the first time I played it, I was sweating exactly how I would if I were actually at the park skateboarding. Every trick you pull you have to make the movements as if you’re actually doing it – it’s a great core and lower back exercise, so it’s something good for

A) if weather isn’t letting you skateboard and –

B) if you feel like getting a workout but don’t want it to feel like…working out.

Tony Hawk Ride is also multi-player – so go ahead and have fun watching your friends try and “bust a move” too.

But let’s say you’re really, really not into those kind of simulation games and you want the real deal. That’s cool – I’m like that too sometimes. Fortunately, Rocksmith can help fulfill that gnawing desire for authenticity.

It also gives you a good excuse to go and pick up that REAL guitar you’ve been drooling over in the display window for the past two months.

Yeah. No plastic guitars here. Billy Talent would be proud. What can I say, the game actually teaches you how to play guitar, instead of just following along to some random colored buttons and insane (not to mention non-existent) fret patterns.

Think of Rocksmith as an educational tool, more than a game. It has a really great A.I. function that creates an instruction course tailored for you and no one else. It tracks your movements, your progress, knows when you start getting a certain section of a song down-pact, then increases difficulty accordingly.

It’s like, if [insert your favorite guitarist’s name here] came to your house and said “hey, let’s play a few sets – go easy, be cool, and try and keep up.” It’s casual like that…cool.

It lets you pick the songs you like, play them, play them, and play them until you master them. It feeds a passion in the most constructive, and awesome way I’ve seen any video game since Gran Turismo 3 and 4 do…

…and the best part? When you decide to get up and leave the room – your den, your living room, your bedroom – the knowledge comes with you, and you can play that same piece anywhere, anytime.

I remember always watching Ashton Kutcher on That 70’s Show – although he’s played more serious parts over the years, the dude’s still as funny now as he was then…but at the same time, he has some pretty deep moments and says some pretty true things.

Steve Jobs (R.I.P.) and him have it right. This is one of those things – a very important, true thing about growing up that many people try and tell you…but you know what – it’s not true – life is a lot “broader” – there’s so much more to it…and it’s not just about living your life, but creating and building one.

So the other day I’m walking around the store looking for a new saucepan (yes, saucepan) and there’s a whole slew of Teflon products on the shelves.

When it comes to cooking, I’m not really into Teflon. I don’t like what it’s made of, don’t like the chemical reaction that occurs when it’s heated. Overall, it’s not the kind of product I’d stock my whole kitchen with.

On the flip side – how everything slides right off it never seizes to amaze me.

Even though I wouldn’t buy it – you’ve gotta love how cool and convenient that is. That made me think about a few things concerning life.

Thinking about it I know seeing the words “Teflon” and “life” in the same sentence doesn’t actually make too much sense, but in a funny enough way they actually go hand in hand.

Really when you think about it, emotions and vibrations go hand in hand yet can be separated. The key is aligning your energy or “thoughts“…because your thoughts can eat you alive. A good movie that has an excellent example of this is “Main, Meri Patni Aur Woh” – to sum it up it’s about a guy who even though married the woman of his dreams can’t get over his own issues that are revolving around in his head.

Getting a hold of your own vibration sounds odd at first and can take some getting used to, but when you do learn to control and eventually master it, you’ll wonder why it was so hard in the beginning. The free eBook offered here helps with this.

Choice of thought can be looked at like a pan over a hot burner on a stove top. Depending on what the pan is made of affects how the things that it comes into contact with will cook.

If you don’t take the conscious effort to have control over your own thoughts or your mood, then your whole energy alignment will be like a new skillet that hasn’t been seasoned and needs to be pre-oiled – everything will stick and burn, making it hard for the next food item to be heated or cooked – because the previous item is still stuck onto the pan.

if you make the decision to say that to yourself and then follow through with it…well then my friend you’ll be like Teflon.

If someone’s having an off day and you’re just “skipping along” or it’s been smooth sailing with your mood, and you make the decision to say “I don’t have time for this, this isn’t making me feel good, I’m not going to be this vibration or this mood’s company,” eventually, you’ll come to find out that someone else’s energy will just sail right past you.

You’ll be like a Teflon pan where when someone throws an egg in to make an omelet, it just swirls around like a glass of fine wine.

This is when you truly take control of your day to day mood and feelings. You don’t have to be affected by others if you don’t choose or allow to. The decision lies in choosing to allow. Remember that.

This For The Weekenders I thought I’d tone things down a bit, keep it low key. While I’m constantly showing you guys great places to go and get booze, sometimes not everyone wants to spend $10 + on a single glass/bottle of alcohol. Plus I also wanted to share with you some great and healthiest beer out there that I personally drink in order to keep calories decent while still tasting great and keep the good times rolling. Like I always say, you can drink or eat anything, as long as it’s in moderation and with a bit of careful research.

So here’s a few of the healthiest beer you can bring along to or supply at the next big house party you’ve been getting stoked for. Enjoy.

If You’re Looking for a Good Buzz, Go with Guinness Extra Stout. It packs a bit more of a punch than it’s sibling beer Guinness Black Lager (4.5%) – and also helps colds. Whenever I feel a bit of something with my immune system coming on, I take one bottle of extra stout and mix it in a blender with a single raw egg, yolk included. Blend that puppy until frothy and smooth then down the hatch.

The taste is robust and strong, some say it’s bitter but I don’t really think so. It’s one of those beers you can drink down without having had too much on your stomach and it’ll actually fill you up. Great in the winter but not really recommended for the summer, you can’t lose with this one and don’t have to worry about it getting you sick (not calling any names here but…the perp that does begins with a “K.”). To top it all off it comes in at 6% – so if you’re alcohol tolerance has far exceeded numbers 4% and under or you just don’t wanna feel like you’re drinking carbonated water, this one’s for you.

If you really are focused on “calories” though by all means check out Guinness Black Lager, it’s a great alternative and has a smoother taste. For an even lighter beer, but in my opinion even less taste, shoot for Guinness Draught.

If You Want Something Light and Refreshing, Go With Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. This stuff is awesome. There was a time in my life when I lived in the country, and in that place there was a pizza joint. Not just any pizza joint – an amazing joint. A mom and pop, carry-out only pizza place where the ingredients were all natural with a MASSIVE array of toppings. Some of which I’ve only been able to find since then on Pizza Rustica‘s menu.

They also sold beer, which was awesome for a pizza place, and made it interesting by letting you create your own pick & mix 6-pack. This is where I discovered Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and haven’t looked back since. Citrusy aroma, surprisingly bold flavor, incredible smoothness, and an unbelievable finish. One of the few pale ales I’d drink – which is saying something.

So-so on the calorie end, around 175 which is right up there with Guinness, but hey – if you want to drink beer to feel the buzz, better to have a beer that only requires a few bottles compared to 6 or 7 light beers. If not it kind of just defeats the term “in moderation.”

Last Stop, Newcastle…As In, The Beer. If You’re Just Looking for Something Familiar, but Smooth. Newcastle Brown Ale is the way to go. Well known over in the UK but not really favored here, nevertheless this is still a favorite of mine whenever I’m looking for a sweet tasting brew. Easy on the calories and reasonably priced, even the carb count won me over when first trying this brown ale.

What I love about this beer is the aroma – a nice nutty and caramel with a hint of coffee smell. Light carbonation, and still strong enough to feel the buzz coming on. Goes great with light foods and your classic chicken wings if you’re into watching the game. An all around winner for whenever you’re out at the bar/pub or just having a few friends over.

The best part about all three of these? Practically no hangover. You can really tell the quality of a beer when you have your fill of it the night prior and wake up the morning after – if your head feels like it’s got a mallet that’s been pounding it all night, it’s a sure bet the ingredients that the beer was made with were of cheaper quality.

Beer is a lot like life – it’s not about how you start – but how you finish. 😉